The best cheap cell phone plans 2023 | Tom's Guide - EU-Vietnam Business Network (EVBN)

The best cheap cell phone plans strike a blow against rising prices by making sure your bill never gets above $40 each month. And with some plans, you can pay a whole lot less.

Best cheap cell phone plans at a glance

1. Best value: Mint Mobile (opens in new tab)
2. Lowest price: Tello (opens in new tab)
3. Best coverage: Verizon (opens in new tab)
4. Best cheap unlimited: Visible (opens in new tab)

And that low monthly rate doesn’t necessarily mean your stuck with very little data. It’s true that a number of low-cost plans do offer small data allotments (and small prices to match), but we’ve found some options featuring huge pools of data — including unlimited data — for $40 or less. With the best cheap cell phone plans, you’re not hurting for choices.

You will have to make some sacrifices for monthly prices this low, and that generally means fewer perks. You won’t find many of the best cheap cell phone plans with either streaming subscriptions or hotspot data. But those are small trade-offs to make when a lower monthly bill awaits you.

As part of our search for the best cell phone plans overall, we’ve kept an eye out for low-cost plans with all sorts of data allotments. Our best cheap cell phone plan search takes into account the merits of prepaid vs. postpaid phone service while also examining whether MVNOs are worth the money. (You can look at our methodology for making picks just below our rankings of the best cheap plans.) Some of our cheap plan picks are even among the best unlimited data cell phone plans out there.

Whether you’re buying a new phone and need a new plan or you’re just looking for ways to save money on your cell phone bill, we can help you find one of the best cheap cell phone plans that keeps costs low.

The best cheap cell phone plans

Mục Lục

The best overall cheap cell phone plan

Why you can trust Tom’s Guide

Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

Mint Mobile | 4GB | $15/month – Best overall cheap cell phone plan (opens in new tab)
Mint Mobile is definitely worth a look if you want one of the best cheap cell phone plans overall because it offers a range of plans for $30 or less each month. We like Mint’s 4GB option, which costs just $15. While that rate lasts for the first three months of service, you can keep paying that low amount by signing up for a full year with Mint. (An ongoing promotion still gives you three months free when you sign up for a three-month plan, but it’s a limited time offer.) As part of your plan with Mint, you get the ability to use your phone as a hotspot, plus 5G coverage where T-Mobile’s 5G network reaches. Plus, Mint’s family plan option means everyone pays the same discounted price per line.

Pros: Very affordable, decent amount of data
Cons: Offer changes after 3 months

The lowest priced cell phone plan

Tello Economy | 1GB | $10/month – Lowest priced cell phone plan (opens in new tab)
Tello offers the cheapest of the cheap when it comes to a new cell phone plan. You only pay $10 a month but you will find yourself with just 1GB of data. However, for that price Tello is throwing in unlimited calls and texts, free mobile tethering and no contract to tie you in. In other words, this is the perfect plan for anyone on a budget who doesn’t need much data. If 1GB is too small of a data pool, Tello has other low-cost options, all of them for less than $40 a month, including a $19 5GB plan and a $29 unlimited data option.

Pros: Cheapest cell phone plan, unlimited calls and texts, multiple plans available for under $40
Cons: $10 plan is very limited on data

Best cheap plan with extensive coverage

Verizon | 15GB prepaid | $35/month – Best plan for coverage (opens in new tab)
Verizon has reshuffled its prepaid phone plans, but bargain hunters benefit with a 15GB plan that’s more afforable early on. This option costs $45/month — outside the $40 budget we set for ourselves — but enrolling in autopay drops the monthly cost by $10. And since you’re getting Verizon’s nationwide 5G coverage with this plan that’s a pretty good deal on top of a big pool of data.

Pros: Great coverage and speeds, big autopay discount
Cons: Cheaper 5GB plan is no more

The best value on unlimited data

Visible | unlimited data | $30/month – The best unlimited data prepaid on a budget (opens in new tab)
Visible’s basic unlimited data plan now costs $30/month, taxes and fees included. That means you’ll pay the same at Visible as you would at Mint, without the 12-month commitment Mint requires for its best rate. Right now when you switch to Visible and use the “15OFF12” offer code, you can save $15 on your plan each month for the next year. (Find out more in our look at the best Visible deals.) Since Visible is owned by Verizon, Visible uses its parent company’s speedy network, giving you 5G access with a compatible phone.

Pros: Very affordable, 5G unlimited data
Cons: $45 Visible plan offers better perks

An excellent price from one of the major carriers

T-Mobile Connect | 3GB data | $15/month – Low cost cell phone plan from a big name carrier (opens in new tab)
Opting for service from either Mint or Tello means forgoing the major carriers. But you can find cheap plans at some of the Big Three, including T-Mobile and its low-cost T-Mobile Connect options. The $15 monthly plan just grew to 3GB of data — T-Mobile boost the allotment by 0.5GB every year. There’s also a 1GB option for $10, matching Tello’s price. Once you hit your data cap, you’re out of data until your next cycle begins instead of simply being limited on speeds.

Pro: Low costs, 500Mb data boosts annually
Con: Out of data once you hit your cap

Best overlooked value

Cricket | 10GB | $40/month – A better budget option than before (opens in new tab)
If you’ve dismissed Cricket as an option in the past, it’s time to re-examine this AT&T-owned discount carrier. Cricket stopped imposing a speed cap on plans, so you now enjoy the full benefits of AT&T’s network, including 5G coverage. With Cricket’s $40 plan, you get a generous 10GB pool of data, and you can save another $5 each month by enrolling in autopay, meaning Cricket’s plan costs the same as Verizon’s (though with less data).

Pros: Autopay discount, no more speed caps
Cons: Very few perks

Best cheap plan for Google Pixel phones

Google Fi | 2GB Flexible plan | $40 a month – Best plan for the Pixel 7 (opens in new tab)
The pricing of Google Fi’s flexible plans — $20 for a talk and text, plus $10 for each GB of data you use — isn’t as generous as what you find from the other best cheap cell phone plans we’ve highlighted. But Google Fi will appeal to anyone who gets a Pixel 7 or low-cost Pixel 6a — those devices are optimized for Google’s network. Google Fi does have some advantages, including the ability to use your plan when you travel in more than 200 countries. You also don’t pay for data you don’t use.

Pros: Overseas coverage, you’re only charged for data you use
Cons: $40 only gets you 2GB of data

The best cheap AT&T cell phone plan

AT&T | 16GB 12-month prepaid | $25/month – Great value on AT&T (opens in new tab)
Usually, the main carriers stay clear of offering cheap cell phone plans, but this AT&T prepaid plan offers some overall excellent value — especially now that AT&T has doubled the data while keeping the same price. For just $25 each month, you get a 16GB data cap. While that isn’t as cheap as Mint Mobile or Tello, it is a great price to pay for AT&T. While you can pay for a month at a time — AT&T charges $30 a month for 5GB — investing in a full year can get you the best combination of price and data possible.

Pros: Major carrier, good amount of data for price
Cons: Best price requires a longer contract

What to look for with cheap cell phone plans

Obviously, price is going to be paramount when considering a cheap cell phone plan. After all, if money is no object, there are plenty of pricey plans that will deliver maximum perks and data.

But price isn’t the only criteria to look at. You’ll want to consider who provides the best cell phone coverage in your area and whether the discount carrier you’re considering uses that carrier’s network. With the exception of AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, none of the discount carriers we’ve mentioned here operate their own network. Rather, as mobile virtual network operators, or MVNOs, they piggyback on the cellular networks built by one or more of the major carriers. Some carriers, such as Republic Wireless and Google Fi, also offload calls and texts to Wi-Fi when available, as part of their efforts to keep monthly costs low.

You’ll also want to look at the variety of plans each carrier offered and whether you could move to a different plan if your talk, text and data needs change. We’ve focused on plans for individuals, but if you’re searching for the best family cell phone plan, look into whether a carrier offers discounts on multiple lines. While perks generally aren’t included with cheap cell phone plans, look to see if there are some added benefits such as hotspot data.

How we pick the best cheap cell phone plans

We are constantly looking at what phone carriers offer, as part of our research into the best cell phone plans. That includes looking at what’s available from the major carriers — AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon — as well as from discount carriers. We check prices monthly, comparing what different services have to offer.

For our best cheap cell phone plans guide, we set a limit of $40 per month, only looking at plans that fall under this threshold. Price is paramount in our rankings, though we do make note of how much data each plan provides as well as any perks to keep in mind. That can help distinguish two equally priced plans — or even make a slightly more expensive plan a better value overall.

Because cell phone coverage can differ from area to area, we try to include a wide variety of cell phone plans priced at $40 or less, so that you can find the best rate for the wireless service with the strongest coverage in your area.

Next: You can also check out our guide to cheap unlimited data plans from the major carriers.